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By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, July 20, 2004 Retaining special operations personnel is crucial to the global war on terrorism, special operations senior enlisted advisers told Congress today. Special operations personnel are deployed around the world in greater numbers than at any time in history, officials said. These senior advisers, responsible for assessing the morale of special operations troops, said they are concerned about a possible experience drain from the force. The enlisted leaders testified before the House Armed Services Committee's Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee. To a greater extent than the conventional forces, special operations forces depend on "a mature and operationally experienced population," said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Robert Martens Jr., the senior enlisted adviser for U.S. Special Operations Command. The command is following retention trends carefully, because the loss of such experience will create an unacceptable level of risk within the force, the chief said. The retention problem also is the special operations strength. Special operators are "independent thinkers who are routinely expected to make tactical level decisions during the execution of sensitive and dangerous missions which can have strategic impacts," Martens said. "These attributes also make them highly valuable to the civilian world." The senior enlisted advisers all said the USSOC component commands are capable now, and are keeping an adequate percentage to lead the force, but they are concerned for the future. "The challenge is to retain these service members in the face of a heavy optempo, rising demands on the home front, and opportunities in the civilian community," Martens said. And the opportunities are there for special operations personnel. Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Hall, the senior enlisted adviser for the Army Special Operations Command, told the House panel that trained special operators can move to contractors and make up to $200,000 a year overseas. They can also step into government service as civilians at the GS-11 to GS-13 level. Hall said Army Special Operations Command, by far the largest provider of special operators, has noticed a drop in retention past 20 years of service. Training a special operator takes time and experience. Special operations personnel go through 18 months to two years of specialized training before reporting to units. Once at the units, they are at the entry level. It takes between six and eight years for people to be fully competent, officials said. The Army and Air Force are seeing a decline in the number of those who want to stay on past the 20-year retirement mark. "At the 20-year mark, you're about 38 years old, 40 years old. If you want to start another career where you want to get some retirement, that's about the decision time," Hall said. At the 20-year mark, service members with children are looking at trying to afford college and paying off the mortgage. The sergeant major said the pay raises over the past four years have made a "significant difference" in keeping people on board, "because base pay turns into retirement pay, and retirement pay is security for your family." The Navy is concerned about retaining special operators at the eight- to 12- year mark. "For those over 20, we're retaining about 45 percent," said Master Chief Petty Officer Clell Breining, the senior enlisted adviser for Naval Special Warfare Command. "The Navy average is about 25 percent. Where we're seeing the problem is about the 10-year mark, where guys are making the decision as to whether or not, to make the military a career." Breining said he had lunch with three Navy special operators who decided to get out at the 10-year mark. "I asked them if they were getting out because they don't like the Navy, or you don't like being a SEAL," he said. "And the answer was absolutely not they loved the work, but they are looking at their futures and looking at the money." Martens said that the military can never pay service members as much as they can get on the outside. "But that's not what drives our people to do the job and missions that they do," he said. "We do owe to them to make them and their families as comfortable as possible." The senior enlisted advisers said there must be some way to make staying in past 20 years more attractive to special operators. The committee members asked them specifically what would be needed. Hall said some combination of increased retirement, increased educational benefits and increased family support is going to be needed. Another big factor, he said, is worthwhile work. "The way the armed services have been treated the last couple of years, the respect, the money that we get to be properly manned and trained, that goes a long, long way to keeping folks in there," Hall said. He said educational benefits go a long way in helping, because "if you have that degree in your pocket, you're not as worried" and won't jump at the first job opportunity that presents itself. Special pays could be a solution, according to the Air Force Special Operations Command senior enlisted adviser. "We've been successful in our aviation incentive pay programs for our aviators, and that answered the problems we were having with pilot attrition a few years ago," said Chief Master Sgt. Howard Mowry. "I would like to see us work a similar program that would compensate our pararescuemen and combat controllers." This would mean that when special operations specialists go through years-of- service gates, their pay and incentives would increase. But all of the senior enlisted advisers urged the representatives to look at retirement pay. "Retirement pay is what you hear time and again from the young guys," said the Navy's Breining. "When they are making that 10-year decision, one of the things they are considering is what is my retirement pay going to be." SEALs receive several hundred dollars a month in special-duty assignment pay and selective re-enlistment bonuses. "They would like to see those as part of the formula for retirement pay somehow," he said. Martens said Special Operations Command is looking at a number of packages designed to keep people in the service. He said some conclusions will be ready for discussion in 60 to 90 days.
By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, July 20, 2004 Special operations forces are deployed worldwide, but changes have made the operations tempo for those forces "difficult, but manageable," officials said before Congress today. Army Col. Kenneth J. Cull, the personnel chief at U.S. Special Operations Command, told the House Armed Services Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee how the command is working on the optempo problem. Cull said the special operations forces are deployed throughout the world on a scale not done before. The forces are the poster child for low-density, high- demand forces, meaning there are few forces and a lot of need for the specialties. The Army has the greatest number of special operations forces, followed by the Air Force and Navy. U.S. Special Operations Command, based at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., is in overall command of these forces. Special operations forces are particularly well-suited for the global war on terror. They are a precious resource, it takes on average two years to train special operators to their entry-level standard, officials said. In many cases, the troops have spent long years understanding the languages and cultures of the areas they specialize in, but that time has reduced to relieve the operation tempo on the forces. The Army's 5th Special Forces Group, based at Fort Campbell, Ky., specializes in the U.S. Central Command area. They were among the first on the ground in Afghanistan. "Traditionally we orient our Green Berets to a specific area of the world," Cull said. "Today, however, with approximately 75 percent of our deployment going to Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army Special Operations Command has found it prudent to sustain that force by using other Special Forces groups, including two excellent National Guard units in the U.S. Central Command (area)." He said commanders lose some valuable cultural and linguistic expertise. But the Army gains through "the accumulation of vast operational experience for the designated units as well as the requisite opportunity to recuperate the 5th Special Forces Group" normally assigned to this region. The overall capability will grow slightly in the future. "The current plan is to add about 2,700 personnel to the force over the next five to seven years," Cull said. He said the command is working with services to add a limited number of active duty units to the Special Operations Command "to supplement our most stressed specialties," including civil affairs and psychological operations units. This will also include aviation units and trainers at the special operations schoolhouses. Cull said another effort is to ensure the right mix of active and reserve forces in U.S. Special Operations Command. Currently the reserve components make up one-third of the command. In some specialties, such as civil affairs and psychological operations, almost all of the capability is in the reserves. Right now, there is no recruiting or retention problem with these units, officials said. Cull said the command will look at ways to give reserve service members more predictability, and that the command possibly will redirect a portion of the reserve component's capability to the active component. The command also has focused its special operations capabilities. Officials said deployments are limited to areas where special ops capabilities truly are needed, and not just to demonstrate American military presence. By doing this, the command has been able to decrease the percentage of special operations forces deployed by 13 percent over the past year, Cull said.
By Linda D. Kozaryn American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, July 19, 2004 The United States and its coalition partner nations are making progress in the war against global terrorism, according to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. "We are unquestionably putting a lot of pressure on the extremists who are conducting these terrorist acts around the world," Rumsfeld told National Public Radio's Juan Williams during a July 16 interview. The U.S.-led, anti-terror coalition of 80 to 90 nations, he said, is sharing intelligence and making it harder for the terrorists to move money. The coalition also is making it harder for the terrorists to recruit and retain people. "We're making it harder for them to communicate with each other, harder for them to move between countries," Rumsfeld said. The coalition has also brought down the Abdul Qadeer Khan network that was trading in nuclear materials and technologies, the secretary said. Khan, the father of Pakistan's gas centrifuge program, was removed from his post as advisor to Pakistan's prime minister for providing nuclear technology, components, and equipment to Iran, Libya, and North Korea. Rumsfeld noted that "Libya has come forward and decided to forego weapons of mass destruction." America is safer today, he said, than it was on Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorists hijacked four jetliners and attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Many terrorists have been captured or killed, and more information about their activities has been gleaned. The United States has focused significant resources on protection. "We have a much better protection system, for example, at our airports," Rumsfeld said. "We have a much higher level of vigilance and awareness on the part of the American people." The United States is safer today because of the steps that have been taken, but there is no "perfect safety" when people are determined to kill other people, he warned. "Now the reality is that a terrorist can attack at any time, at any place, using any technique," Rumsfeld said. "And it is physically impossible to protect every location against every conceivable type of attack, and it's particularly difficult for free people." If terrorists cause Americans to give up the freedoms and benefits of a free society, he stressed, "then the terrorists have won."
By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, July 16, 2004 -- The Defense Department is taking a hard look at the way it trains service members to avoid capture and, if they do fall into enemy hands, how to handle themselves. A new "core captivity curriculum," expected to be completed this summer, is designed to update training currently being provided to service members whose jobs put them at the highest risk of being captured, Air Force Col. Mark Bracich, director of policy, doctrine and training for the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency at Fort Belvoir, Va., told the American Forces Press Service. Bracich said the curriculum is being developed jointly by the services for incorporation into training offered at the services' Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape schools. If validated, key concepts of the new curriculum are expected to be introduced into training for all service members beginning with their initial military training, he said. The new curriculum is designed to address the "asymmetric" modern-day battlefield -- one without clear-cut front lines or clear distinctions between friend and foe. It also considers peacekeeping, humanitarian and other noncombat missions today's military carries out. In these situations, Bracich said, service members are as likely to be taken hostage by a splinter group as they are to be taken prisoner of war by an enemy army. As the battlefield has changed, so, too, have traditional notions about who is most likely to be captured, Bracich acknowledged. For example, during the first days of Operation Iraqi Freedom, it wasn't combat troops who became the first U.S. prisoners of war, but rather, combat-support soldiers from the Army Reserve's 507th Maintenance Company. "More people are being put into more levels of risk in more environments," Bracich said. "It raises the question: are we doing the right thing for the right people at the right time? This is something we're working with the services to figure out." Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Dave Williams, whose AH-64D Longbow Apache helicopter was shot down over Iraq in March 2003, said his 21 days of captivity reinforced the need for additional training for all service members, regardless of their job specialty. "When you go into a situation like Iraq, there are no friendly lines," Williams said. "Everybody is at high risk of capture, regardless of your (military occupational specialty)." As a former member of the Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Williams had gone through the Army's three-week Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape School at Fort Bragg, N.C., in 1997. The course, he said, gave him the tools he needed to evade capture as long as possible, along with his copilot, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ronald Young Jr. Once they were captured and taken to the Al Rashid prison in Baghdad, Williams said, the course helped him endure the hardships of captivity and, as the senior U.S. prisoner, help his fellow soldiers. Williams said he established a chain of command and "developed a fellowship with the other prisoners," Young and five soldiers from the 507th Maintenance Company. Their captivity, he said, included torture and psychological abuse. Unlike Williams, the 507th Maintenance Company soldiers had no training in what to expect or how to behave in a prisoner-of-war situation, he said. Their only training -- and the only training currently provided to the vast majority of service members -- was limited to a briefing on the Code of Conduct during basic training. Army Pfc. Patrick Miller, one of the 507th captives, admitted that he, like most service members who receive this training, didn't expect to ever have much use for it. But not surprisingly, Miller has since become a big advocate of more training in how to handle oneself if captured. "Everybody needs it," he said. Service members considered at "moderate" risk of capture receive slightly more training, generally consisting of eight to 10 hours of videos about survival, evasion, resistance and escape techniques, and sometimes field training, Bracich said. Only those service members whose duties put them at the highest risk of capture attend their service's Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape school. There, they learn fundamentals ranging from what's safe to eat when they're in the field evading capture to how to resist their captor's attempts to exploit them. They also go through realistic scenarios similar to what they might face during captivity. "Everything I was taught in the course got applied in a real-world situation," Williams said. And while acknowledging that "nothing can fully prepare you" for the hardship and loneliness of captivity, Williams is committed to sharing everything he's experienced and learned with his fellow service members in case they fall into a similar situation. He's lectured at military posts around the country and recently became the new officer in charge of the Survive, Evade, Resistance and Escape School at Fort Rucker, Ala. Meanwhile, Williams said he's encouraged by the military's effort to train more service members in how to avoid capture and successfully endure captivity if necessary. "The more tools a soldier has in his rucksack when he goes off to fight, the better off he'll be," Williams said.
By Kathleen T. Rhem American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, July 15, 2004 The degree of multiservice cooperation in Operation Iraqi Freedom is taking the concept of jointness to what the Army's new vice chief called "the graduate level." Gen. Richard A. Cody, who became the Army's vice chief of staff June 24, said U.S. forces should be very proud of how the services have been working together. During an interview in the Pentagon today with American Forces Press Service and the Pentagon Channel, Cody said the recent rotation of forces into and out of Iraq and Afghanistan was a perfect example of how American forces cooperate in operations today. Even though 240,000 active and reserve-component soldiers were deployed and redeployed, "it wasn't just an Army move," Cody said. "It took an awful lot of sailors; it took an awful lot of airmen; and it took an awful lot of civilians across the entire DoD force to be able to take that large of a force and move it." Marine Lt. Gen. Jan C. Huly, the Corps' deputy commandant for plans, policies and operations, said in a separate interview today that he believes history will show the war on terrorism is the most joint operation U.S. forces have ever undertaken. "Probably history will show that when we get done, or when we start analyzing even more closely what we're doing in Iraq and Afghanistan, they're going to say, 'Boy that was the most joint that we've ever operated,'" Huly said. The 34-year Marine veteran said this is the closest the Corps and the Army, in particular, have worked during his career. "We've got Marines working for soldiers, and we've got soldiers working for Marines, and we've got them all working side by side," he said. "We've got joint task forces that include all four services. We've got civilians (and) contractors that are over there working more closely and integrated than ever before. "It's going to be very interesting to see the history written on this," he added. The nature of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq have forced the services to look at ways to help each other, especially in the areas of combat support and combat service support, Cody explained. "What Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom have done is caused us as a department and as services to look where we have commonality and jointness across our formations so we can help each other out and kind of spread out the burden across the force. And that's what we see happening," he said. The Army general said he believes members of all services should be proud of their ability to reach across service lines and work together for the good of the country. "The one thing we all share in common across the services (is) it does say 'U.S.' across our breast," he said. "It may say 'U.S. Air Force' or 'U.S. Army' or 'U.S. Marine Corps' or 'U.S. Navy,' but it all starts with the 'United States,'" he added. "And that's our team logo."
By Kathleen T. Rhem American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, July 2, 2004 Sending NATO forces to Afghanistan and Iraq for specific areas of assistance will free American troops to focus on rebuilding those countries and defeating enemies of freedom, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said. During a wide-ranging July 1 interview with the Pentagon Channel and American Forces Press Service, the secretary gave his views on sending NATO troops to Afghanistan for added security around scheduled fall elections and to Iraq to train and equip Iraqi security forces. Rumsfeld explained that sending more NATO troops to Afghanistan will free American forces to focus on work being done throughout the country by provincial reconstruction teams and on what he called "the heavy lifting" defeating Taliban and al Qaeda fighters, particularly along Afghanistan's border with Pakistan. During recent NATO meetings in Istanbul, Turkey, Afghan President Hamid Karzai asked for NATO security assistance during his country's upcoming elections. Rumsfeld explained there is particular resistance to free elections in Afghanistan because women will be allowed to vote for the first time. Thirty- seven percent of Afghans who have registered to vote are women, Rumsfeld said. All NATO nations except France voted to support Karzai's request by deploying NATO's new response force. Rumsfeld explained that NATO's supreme allied commander, U.S. Marine Gen. James Jones, is working to develop options for such a deployment. "There are several options," Rumsfeld said, "but ultimately, the NATO countries will in fact provide assistance for the elections in Afghanistan." He said he envisioned such assistance as a short-term surge in forces. "It is specifically designed to create a more secure environment during a period when the parliamentary and presidential elections would be taking place," he said. NATO forces will be deployed to Iraq with a different mandate: to train and equip the various Iraqi security forces. Security forces in Iraq include police, border patrol, army, national guard and site-protection forces. NATO countries unanimously agreed to "organize a central capability to assist the Iraqis in training and equipping their security forces," Rumsfeld said. "That was good progress," he noted. "We'll have NATO assisting, and it will not be left just to us or just to the Iraqis or just to the other coalition countries that are already assisting."
By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, June 23, 2004 Even facing a different kind of enemy, the United States will continue to adhere to its values, international law and treaty obligations, White House and DoD officials said June 22. President Bush made the U.S. position on torture very clear during a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy June 22. "We do not condone torture," Bush said. "I have never ordered torture. I will never order torture. The values of this country are such that torture is not a part of our soul and our being." DoD officials emphasized that the department embraces processes that are "careful and respectful of human beings." They pointed out that this contrasts greatly with the actions of terrorists who have kidnapped and beheaded their victims. As the United States captures al Qaeda members and their terrorist allies, White House officials noted, they will be treated humanely, in accordance with the Geneva Conventions even though they are not prisoners of war in the legal sense. The White House and Pentagon released a series of documents June 22 detailing the U.S. government's examination of the status of the terrorist enemy and how U.S. intelligence experts should deal with them. "The Department is providing this level of detail," said a DoD release, "realizing that we are still a nation at war and we must be careful in what we disclose to our enemies." "We face an enemy that lies in the shadows, an enemy that doesn't sign treaties, they don't wear uniforms, an enemy that owes no allegiance to any country, they do not cherish life," said Judge Alberto Gonzalez, the White House Counsel. "(The terrorists are) an enemy that doesn't fight, attack or plan according to accepted laws of war, in particular Geneva Conventions." American policymakers debated some tough questions even as American service members began catching these terrorists. Gonzalez said they worked to determine the legal status of individuals caught in this battle. They helped determine how the enemy combatants were treated. They also asked to what extent can those detained be questioned to attain information concerning possible future terrorist attacks? What are the rules governing that interrogation and what will U.S. policies be? The memoranda and letters released detail how the U.S. government arrived at the policy regarding treatment of terrorists. First thing to remember, officials said, is that the terrorists do wish America harm. They killed 3,000 Americans in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. They have launched attacks in Bali, Indonesia, Madrid, Istanbul, Pakistan and throughout Iraq. "As we debated these questions, the president made clear that he was prepared to protect and defend the United States and its citizens, and he would do so vigorously, but as the documents we are releasing today show, that he would do so in a manner consistent with our nation's values and applicable law, including our treaty obligations," Gonzalez said. Critics who contend that the United States allowed torture against detainees in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are wrong, Gonzales said. "All interrogation techniques actually authorized have been carefully vetted, are lawful and do not constitute torture," he said. Most interrogation procedures military intelligence officials use come straight from the Army's Field Manual 34-52, in use for years. The manual detailing procedures for use against a conventional military foe. But al Qaeda is not a typical foe, officials said. A manual captured in Afghanistan showed the terrorists were aware of the interrogation procedures and trained to resist those procedures. During the summer and fall of 2002, intelligence indicated al Qaeda planners had targeted the United States and allied nations, according to DoD officials. Among the detainees at Guantanamo were individuals with close connections to al Qaeda leadership and planning figures. Some detainees possessed information on al Qaeda plans. In October 2002, officials in Guantanamo requested permission to use additional interrogation techniques for al Qaeda detainees. The request included 20 techniques, officials said. On Nov. 27, 2002, the DoD general counsel, after a series of discussions recommended that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld approve 17 of the techniques. On Dec. 2, 2002, Rumsfeld approved the 17 requests. According to a DoD news release, "the techniques approved were arranged on a three-tiered system that required approval from different levels of the chain of command before they could be used. A number of the techniques that were approved were never used. These guidelines were in effect from Dec. 2, 2002 until Jan. 15, 2003." Rumsfeld rescinded the guidance when he learned that some officials had concern about the implementation of the techniques. "Key to this," said a DoD official, "is that while harsher techniques were approved, they were not used." Today, a total of 24 techniques are approved for use at Guantanamo. Seventeen of the techniques are straight from the Army field manual. Four techniques require prior approval by Rumsfeld before they can be used. "No procedures approved for use ordered, authorized, permitted or tolerated torture," said the DoD release. "Individuals who have abused the trust and confidence placed in them will be held accountable. "There are a number of inquiries that are ongoing to look at specific allegations of abuse, and those investigations will run their course." The released documents, the DoD news release noted, "are made available to demonstrate" that the department's actions "are bound by law and guided by American values."
By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, June 13, 2004 The presidents of Afghanistan and Iraq both called for coalition forces to stay in their countries during separate interviews on NBC's "Meet the Press" today. Afghan President Hamid Kharzai and Iraqi President Ghazi al-Yawar both said the short-term stability of their countries depends on the U.S.-led coalition staying in their respective lands. Yawar said Iraqi security forces cannot handle the security problems today. The threats from Saddam Hussein regime remnants and outside terrorists is potent, he said, and Iraqi security forces have neither the training nor the equipment to effectively police the country or deny the borders to foreign terrorists. "We are practical, we are realistic," Yawar said. "What we lack right now is enough security forces and capabilities. There are enemies, foreign and domestic, that are trying to destabilize and derail this new wonderful trend in Iraq." The president said there is no timeline on a coalition exit from Iraq. He said that will depend on how long it will take for Iraqis to assume the security mission. He estimated that will be no earlier than six months to a year. The coalition will turn over sovereignty to the government led by Yawar on June 30. The president said that following the turnover, he expects Iraq to be turbulent for a while. "We expect that (terrorists) will try to increase the incidents and the violence for a while, but we are committed, we are consistent and we are focused to make sure that we take necessary preparations to defuse the situation," he said. Yawar said the Iraqi people are "cautiously positive" about the interim government. "The people of Iraq are rallying behind this government, and this is a sign of strength for this government," he said. Kharzai said his interim government would like to see the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force expand to other parts of the country. "Insha'allah" was the way Kharzai put it as to whether his nation would have elections in September as planned. "God willing" is the translation. Kharzai said the voter registration process is moving along well, and he expects the elections to take place. "I am confident, because the Afghan people want this very much," Kharzai said. "The Afghan people want to elect their government." He said the government is legitimate across the country, although there are problems with local warlords. The government is trying to become more effective throughout the land. "We are a weak administration," he said. "We have come out of 30 years of war and suffering and a tremendous shortage of human resources. That applies to our weakness." Kharzai said the problem posed by Taliban remnants and al-Qaeda followers persist, but they are not effective organizations. "Three years ago, they could reach you in New York and Washington," Kharzai said. "Today, they are on the run. They are fugitives, and we are after them." The terrorists can still hit targets of opportunity, but they are no longer an organized force, he said.
By Sgt. 1st Class Doug Sample, USA American Force Press Service WASHINGTON, June 5, 2004 -- The challenges of the United States and coalition nations in the war on terrorism extend beyond Iraq, President Bush said today in his national weekly radio address. "The war on terror is being fought on many fronts," he reminded listeners. Bush noted that since Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists have struck in places from Morocco to Indonesia, but the center of terrorist conflict remains the Middle East. "If that region is abandoned to dictators and terrorists, it will be a constant source of violence and alarm, exporting killers of increasing sophistication and destructive power," the president pointed out. However, he added, "If that region grows in democracy, prosperity and hope, the terrorist movement will lose its sponsors, lose its recruits, and lose the festering grievances that keep terrorists in business. It is our work to win this struggle. "This is no time for impatience or self-defeating pessimism," he said. "We have work to do in the defense of our country and for the good of humanity, and by doing our duty and holding firm to our values, this generation will give the world a lesson in the power of liberty." The president noted that the past week has been important for the future of Iraq and the Middle East and for America's security. He told listeners that the naming of Iraq's new president and members of the new interim government June 1 reflects "new leadership drawn from a broad cross-section of Iraqis." New Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi and the then-Iraqi Governing Council named Ghazi al-Yawar, an engineer from northern Iraq, as the country's new president. Joining al-Yawar are two deputy presidents and a 33-member cabinet. The IGC disbanded itself to allow the new interim government to begin its work. Bush said the new government brings together men and women of varied backgrounds who represent Iraq's "ethnic and religious" diversity. "Five were regional officials, six are women, and all are Iraqi patriots, dedicated to building a brighter future for their country." The president emphasized that naming Iraq's new government advances the administration's plan to help Iraq achieve democracy. "It brings us closer to realizing the hope of millions of Iraqis, a fully sovereign nation with a representative government to protect their rights and serve their interests," he explained. "It brings us closer to seeing a Middle East that knows the blessings of liberty, and it brings us closer to defeating a ruthless enemy that has killed thousands of innocents and still threatens the peace of the world." He said the new government will follow the political process outlined in the Transitional Administrative Law, and prepare Iraq for national elections by January 2005. In that election, Bush explained the people of Iraq will choose a transitional national assembly that will be the first "freely elected, truly representative national governing body in Iraq's history." "Iraq is on the path to democracy and freedom, and the international community is helping Iraq complete the journey," he added. The president also stated that the United States is working with allied governments and with Iraq's new leaders on a new U.N. Security Council resolution to help gain international support for Iraq's interim government, and to "reaffirm the world's security commitment to the Iraqi people." In addition, the resolution will encourage other U.N. members to join rebuilding efforts, he said. Later this month, the president said that he plans to travel to foreign capitals and international summits to discuss with world leaders "our common responsibility to help a free Iraq succeed." Bush said he will also attend the U.S.-European Union Summit in Ireland, and the NATO summit in Turkey in June. He said these meetings will provide an opportunity for world leaders "to show their solidarity with the Iraqi people as they build a free and democratic government."
By John D. Banusiewicz American Forces Press Service SINGAPORE, June 5, 2004 Ideological extremism that uses terror as a weapon stands in the way of global political progress and economic prosperity, threatens international order and clouds civil society's future, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here today. Rumsfeld was this morning's keynote speaker at the International Institute for Strategic Studies' annual Pacific security conference, known as the "Shangri-la Dialog." Because extremists who use terror as a weapon can't be appeased, the secretary said, they must be confronted on many fronts by all civil societies. His remarks centered on what he called "the way ahead in the global struggle of civilization vs. extremism." Rumsfeld listed the successes so far in the global war on terror, but said the struggle is closer to its beginning than it is to its end. He cited more than a half dozen recent terrorist attacks around the world and noted that vigilant Singaporean officials thwarted a major attack that was to have taken place here. "But let there be no doubt," the secretary said. "More is to come." No area of the world, he said, is immune from terrorist attacks, and constant vigilance is required. "A terrorist needs only to be lucky once or twice," he said. "Civil society needs to be prepared always." But defending every place, every moment, against any technique terrorists might employ, he added, is impossible. "So the only waym indeed, the only waym to win this global struggle, this war, call it what you will, is to go on the offense to root out terrorists at their source, and for us to collectively put steady pressure on them and all of their enablers that sustain them." But killing or capturing terrorists or thwarting their attacks is not the whole solution to the problem, Rumsfeld said. The problem will only continue if young Muslims continue to be won over by extremists who hijack the Muslim faith for their destructive aims. "We have to find ways to persuade young Muslims," he noted, "that the way to the future is through education and opportunity, not through suicide and terrorism." He said the United States has developed a set of concepts to guide its security presence in the new world created by the threat of terrorism. Among these, he said, are the following:
By John D. Banusiewicz American Forces Press Service SINGAPORE, June 4, 2004 Noting various recent terrorist attacks around the world, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said today that while each is a tragedy, each also uncovers more about the terrorists. His comments came during a town hall meeting with sailors and Marines on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Essex, following a re-enlistment ceremony for 30 sailors and two Marines. The secretary is in Singapore meeting with officials and to participate in the annual "Shangri-la Dialog" conference of Pacific nations. "Each time (a terrorist attack) occurs, people are discovered, people are captured, people are killed, pocket litter is found, computers are found, information is gathered that enables people to go out and stop still additional terror attacks," the secretary said. "I think that the fact that there is not a lot of publicity about what is happening out here may be kind of misleading, because there is pressure being put on terrorists in this part of the world every day by the close cooperation we have, for example, with our wonderful friends here in Singapore, but also with many, many other countries in this region." When an officer asked the secretary when naval forces in the Pacific might start "hunting some terrorists in this theater," Rumsfeld replied he hopes it will be soon. "I know that the only way that we're going to deal with this problem is to recognize that it's truly global (and) that we have to bring all elements of national power to bear on it. You simply cannot wait for another attack and expect to defend against it. We have to go out and find those terrorist networks and the people financing them, and the countries that are providing safe haven for them." Rumsfeld pointed out that the U.S. armed forces were organized to fight armies, navies and air forces. "These terrorists don't have armies, navies or air forces. They don't even have countries. They have very little to defend," he said. "Therefore, they have to be found through intelligence gathering. We have to put pressure on them in terms of their ability to move money, their ability to move between countries, their ability to communicate with each other, and we have to do counterterrorism techniques that are increasingly more sophisticated, sharing intelligence as we've done." One town hall attendee asked whether the publicity surrounding the Abu Ghraib prison scandal has overshadowed progress being made in Iraq. Rumsfeld said anyone who has seen the pictures of the prisoner abuses "has to just be stunned and heartbroken that Americans would do that to people who are in our custody, in our charge and who are our responsibility." He termed as "inexcusable" the abuses depicted in the widely published photographs. "It's perfectly proper to report things that aren't going well, things that are unfortunate, such as that," he said. But he noted a disparity exists between reporting such things and not reporting successes as widely, and that no one should be surprised at the ups and downs that are part of any nation moving from totalitarian dictatorship to democracy. "What we're seeing in (Afghanistan and Iraq) is not terribly different than what we've seen in other countries that have tried to navigate from a vicious dictatorship, if you will, to a freer system," he said. He pointed out that the transition wasn't smooth in Japan and Germany after World War II. When the United States was working to attain its independence, the path was bumpy, he added, with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution separated by 13 years, with riots and people being killed in the interim. The people on the ground in Iraq, he said, are assessing progress and noting the good things, but the difficulties and ugliness are what people in the United States and around the world are seeing and hearing about. "They're basing that on testing what's taking place there against how they'd like it to be, what a perfect world might look like, what smooth transition might be," he said. "But there has never been a smooth transition, so it seems to me our expectations have to be recast, and be realistic. It's a tough, ugly business to get from a dictatorship to a freer system, and our task is to help them do it. The president of the United States is determined to do that, the coalition is determined to do that, and I believe we will be successful in doing that." The hunt for Osama bin Laden was on the mind of one questioner. Rumsfeld dismissed reports that surface about supposed near-misses in capturing the al Qaeda terrorist group's leader. "Close doesn't count," he said. "If he is alive and well out there, my guess is he's very busy trying to avoid being caught. I doubt that he's doing much communicating except by courier, and only occasionally. He is under pressure, but where he is, we don't know. If we knew, we'd go find him." Rumsfeld noted that deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein hid near his so- called "spider hole" for months, with troops hunting for him passing nearby every day. "The only way we ever found him is finally somebody put enough pressure on enough people to find out that somebody had an idea where somebody might know somebody who might know somebody who would know where he might have been," eventually leading to someone who took U.S. soldiers right to the spot. "Even standing over the spot, you couldn't tell that he was down there, or that there was even a hole," Rumsfeld pointed out. "So it is like finding a needle in a haystack, and it will not come by just a discovery process. It'll only come by successful interrogations and tracking people who have some connection one way or another. And our folks are working their heads off trying to do that.
By K.L. Vantran American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, May 17, 2004 Troops can throw it around a corner, through a window,up the stairs, on the roof or in a cave and the rugged Dragon Runner will land on its feet and continue its mission. The 9-pound portable surveillance robot is designed to save service members' lives by allowing tactical troops to "see around the corner" in an urban environment. Funded by the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab and the Office of Naval Research in conjunction with Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute, the baseline model uses a wireless modem and UHF video transmitter. A rear-mounted handle allows for easy handling and pull-pin power on/off operation. The front-mounted tilting camera provides video feedback. Army Col. Bruce Jette, director of the Rapid Equipping Force, Fort Belvoir, Va., was one of the first to use the Dragon Runner in the caves of Afghanistan. "We lost a couple of (robots) to improvised explosive devices, but that's OK, it wasn't soldiers. Robotics (in the field) is working." The Rapid Equipping Force has teams in Afghanistan and Iraq. Its mission, noted Jette, is to increase mission capability while decreasing the risk to soldiers and to "do it rapidly." And, he said, you can't do one without the other. "We cover our brass and go out into the field to talk with commanders, troops," said Jette, who recently returned from Iraq. "We relay what they need back to the office. We'll go anywhere for rapid solutions, but it has to meet the commanders' requirements." The teams equip, insert and access the equipment in 90-day spirals, said the director. "If the commander says some piece of equipment stinks, it's not going to ruin my program," said Jette. "The question is 'Can we fix it? What can we do to find a valid solution?" Although some equipment may look "immature or toyish," Jette said that doesn't matter. What does matter is whether it works. "It's not a tank; it doesn't have to last years," he added. "We produce rapid technical solutions to problems that are encountered today." (1) (2) (4) (5)
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